Prison Food
One of my positions with the Department of Corrections was to develop and teach evidence-based practices (EBPs) to the Division of Adult Parole staff. It was a position I honestly really loved. My co-trainers were great, understanding the importance and need for bringing these practices to staff. Though not always easy because there was continually resistance to implementing these practices, which is a story for another time, I was (and still am) passionate about EBPs in the Criminal/Legal System.
When I started to learn more about Ayurveda, I quickly realized how important food is in terms of allowing to heal, to find motivation and confidence to change their behaviors. In Ayurveda, we understand that fresh food is the best as it contains the higherst amounts of prana (life force energy). We also learn that to address the imbalances in body AND mind, we provide provide nourishment to the mind/body system.
If we are providing food in our prison system that costs some where between $1.02-$3 a day (Soble, Stroud and Weinstien, 2020), are we actually able to provide quality, nourishing , prana rich foods for people who need healing and care so much? The work of Soble and her team at imapct Justice highlight the absolute dire nature of food in our prisons. people in prison report seeing ‘food’ delivered in packaging that states ‘not for human consumption’ or ‘for prison use only’. That is some facilities, there is yse of ‘fortified beverage mixes’ to ensure nutritional standrads are met. And in one facility, the average sodium content in a moeal was approximately 3500mg. For reference, the sodium limit set forth by the USDA is 2300mg.
I could go on and on. We, the U.S.A. spend money, resources, time on EBPs. But EBPS are onyly a portion of what could be done. Are we, the taxpayers, staff, leaders of correctionsal facilites comfortable with dishing out EBPs but not addressing the food and ‘nutritional’ standards? Are we not just as culpable in afflicting ongoing harm for those who we are tasked with providing for? And what about the companies who profit from selling ‘food’ to prisons? What is their role in afflicting harm?
Listen, I’ve been working in this field for over 15 years. EBPs have been around for nearly 30 years and yet there are still an increidbly large population of people in our systems. And I believe this isn’t becayse EBPs don’t work or because staff don’t care, though the culture in these agencies and departmetns is another topic, I believe addressing only the mind, through EBP practuces is increidbly limiting. If we are not addressing the food inputs (what we know in Ayurveda as ahara), we are in fact missing the main meal.
We do not need to reinvent the wheel here, Ayurveda provides extensive guidelines for meals, herbs and other practices to bring more balance, peace and harmony for all.
We know better, it is time to do better.
Let’s bring Ayurveda into the Criminal/Legal System.
Reference:
Soble, L, Stroud, K. & Weinstein, M. (2020). Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden
Punishment of Food in Prison. Impact Justice.
https://impactjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/IJ-Eating-Behind-Bars.pdf
